U.S. military defends pregnancy punishment in Iraq

[unit731]

Bottom line, they're meant to be fucking the enemy not each other.

 

I see officer material here !

 

Put General Munch in charge of the troops and the conflicts will stop quickly !

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Bottom-line' date=' this is a career and no other career in the U.S. would you be jailed for becoming pregnant or impregnating someone. I'll say it again and again.......idiocy.[/quote']

 

 

 

Yes your opinion is idiotic. Perhaps if you had had the balls to enlist and serve in combat, you'd understand what is required and expected in this difficult situation, and why these people are a cut above the rest.

 

My balls are too old to enlist. Believe it or not, I actually checked to see if I could enlist and the Army said I had to be under 43. I was 43 in August. All other branches you have to be younger, I checked.

 

I can see the other side of it, as PM asked. My point is that this is a job. If you become pregnant while you have a job, you take leave and come back. There is a bigger picture here that I'd rather not get into but this particular case, I whole-heartedly disagree with the policies imposed. Idiotic.

 

[Flashermac]

By necessity the military is not an equal opportunity employer. It is probably unlike almost any other job, since how many (except police or EOD) require you to put life and limb on the line? Anyone who enlists or accepts a commission knowingly accepts a temporary loss of some ordinary rights.

 

Random thoughts:

 

1) The military does not hire the handicapped. (Exception for mental retardation - commissioned officers only. )

 

2) There is blatant age discrimination, as you discovered. (I looked into the National Guard years ago, thinking I might return to uniform. They told me I couldn't, since you had to have at least 20 years total active service by the time you turned 60. I imagine that is what tripped you up.)

 

3) There are very strict physical standards. No fat boys and everyone must always be able to pass a PT test, which isn't a piece of cake.

 

4) I don't know of any other job that can get you thrown into prison for refusing to obey orders, even stupid ones. In other jobs, you just get fired.

 

5) Not many civilian jobs will pay generous financial support for a wife and children - well above what you earn as your salary. (I always asked the SSG's at the NCO Academy why they had enlisted. Maybe 1 in 5 would say because they'd been laid off and had a wife and several children to support. The Army took a big burden off of their shoulders.) I don't know of any other work that will pay for a university education either.

 

6) Not many civilian jobs will throw the book at you if you don't take care of yourself. I know a GI who got an Article 15 because he went out sunbathing and got burned so badly he couldn't work for a few days. Getting pregnant takes a woman out of action for many months, not just a few days. She's been told not to, so she has violated a direct order. So has the prat who knocked her up, married or not.

 

 

 

[Flashermac]

Too bad the Air National Guard is out. Seems like your background would fit in there.

 

<< The maximum age of non-prior service enlistment, under federal law used to be age 35. In 2006 the Army tried to convinced Congress to change this to age 44. Congress thought age 44 was too high, but raised the maximum enlistment age, under law, from 35 to age 42.

 

Regardless of federal law, the military services are allowed to impose more strict standards -- and many of them have. The maximum age for non-prior service enlistments for each of the services are:

 

Active duty Army - 42

Army Reserves - 42

Army National Guard - 42

Active duty Air Force - 27

Air Force Reserve - 34

Air National guard - 34

Active duty Navy - 34

Navy Reserves - 39

Active duty Marines - 28

Marine Corps Reserves - 29

Active duty Coast Guard - 27

Coast Guard Reserves - 27

 

Age waivers are possible for those with prior military service. >>

 

 

Link

 

[Mekong]

 

I can see the other side of it, as PM asked. My point is that this is a job. If you become pregnant while you have a job, you take leave and come back. There is a bigger picture here that I'd rather not get into but this particular case, I whole-heartedly disagree with the policies imposed. Idiotic.

 

Incorrect,

 

This rule, and many others "that appear Idiotic to you" also apply to some civvies also, dependent on T&C's of the contract, the fact that you have never been exposed to them does not make them stupid rules.

 

I know of 5 females on the project I work on that have had contracts terminated for this very thing over the past 8 months. Part of the 24 month contract they signed listed pregnacy (along with many other things) as grounds for dismissal.

 

On our project we are subjected so so many rules and restrictions we often joke it would be easier to just give us a list of what we can do. Not complaining since its the contract I signed up for, as compensation for living by these restrictions I am banking decent money and get paid rotation back home in Thailand 5 times a year. 25% of the year at home relaxing hell yes the compensation package makes it worthwhile.

 

So its not just in the military that certain stricter rules apply it goes on in civvie contracting also.

 

 

[TroyinEwa/Perv]

Not disputing that. The contract probably spelled out what is required before you signed it. My point is the goal posts were moved after the employee signed on the dotted line. A bit of an unfair move by the employer.

[Flashermac]

Not at all ... when they enlisted they realised might be sent into a combat area. It goes with the job - and oddly enough rules change during war time. Just what good is a pregnant women in time of war? She has to be replaced - and in the meantime her unit suffers from it. She makes it harder on all the others.

 

Reminds me of several captains who tried to resign from the Army as soon as they got orders for the Big Sand Box. We'd never suspected them of having a yellow streak before. (The Army told them they could resign AFTER they got back to the States.)

 

 

 

 

[Old Hippie]

Flash I seem to recall some mumbo jumbo about the military being able to "...add, amend, remove or modify the terms of enlistments as requitred for national service..." something like that, which basically ment they can change the terms at any time. I was 2 weeks away from going to Korea, when they changed my orders to report to El Salvador.

[Old Hippie]

Bottom-line' date=' this is a career and no other career in the U.S. would you be jailed for becoming pregnant or impregnating someone. I'll say it again and again.......idiocy.[/quote']

 

 

 

Yes your opinion is idiotic. Perhaps if you had had the balls to enlist and serve in combat, you'd understand what is required and expected in this difficult situation, and why these people are a cut above the rest.

 

My balls are too old to enlist. Believe it or not, I actually checked to see if I could enlist and the Army said I had to be under 43. I was 43 in August. All other branches you have to be younger, I checked.

 

I can see the other side of it, as PM asked. My point is that this is a job. If you become pregnant while you have a job, you take leave and come back. There is a bigger picture here that I'd rather not get into but this particular case, I whole-heartedly disagree with the policies imposed. Idiotic.

 

 

Yes yes, the old "i;m too old" excuse...the military is really not a job, it is national service, or service to your country. Additionally, as has been reported by others, several jobs do not allow you to be pregnant while doing that job, my profession is one of them, pregnant women must be removed from the job, as they could be exposed to harmful chemicals falls etc...of course most of the women are lesbos...well the competent ones anyway.

 

 

[Old Hippie]

By necessity the military is not an equal opportunity employer. It is probably unlike almost any other job, since how many (except police or EOD) require you to put life and limb on the line? Anyone who enlists or accepts a commission knowingly accepts a temporary loss of some ordinary rights.

 

Random thoughts:

 

1) The military does not hire the handicapped. (Exception for mental retardation - commissioned officers only. )

 

[color:red]Well someone has to tell the uneducated enlistees what to do. Which of course raises the question, who is the bigger retard, the one leading or the one following?"[/color]

 

2) There is blatant age discrimination, as you discovered. (I looked into the National Guard years ago, thinking I might return to uniform. They told me I couldn't, since you had to have at least 20 years total active service by the time you turned 60. I imagine that is what tripped you up.)

 

3) There are very strict physical standards. No fat boys and everyone must always be able to pass a PT test, which isn't a piece of cake.

 

[color:red]Different standards for women[/color]

 

4) I don't know of any other job that can get you thrown into prison for refusing to obey orders, even stupid ones. In other jobs, you just get fired.

 

[color:red]Except for airlines, who promote the really stupid guys to management[/color]

 

5) Not many civilian jobs will pay generous financial support for a wife and children - well above what you earn as your salary. (I always asked the SSG's at the NCO Academy why they had enlisted. Maybe 1 in 5 would say because they'd been laid off and had a wife and several children to support. The Army took a big burden off of their shoulders.) I don't know of any other work that will pay for a university education either.

 

[color:red]I asked that once while in, mentioned that it smacked of communism, I mean each getting more based on his needs etc...really pissed me off that a guy the same rank got more for having a wife and kid and living off base etc...[/color]

 

6) Not many civilian jobs will throw the book at you if you don't take care of yourself. I know a GI who got an Article 15 because he went out sunbathing and got burned so badly he couldn't work for a few days. Getting pregnant takes a woman out of action for many months, not just a few days. She's been told not to, so she has violated a direct order. So has the prat who knocked her up, married or not.

 

[color:red]As I said getting drunk or getting VD could also get you a court martial depending on when and where it happens or how many times. I swear that is how NSU (non specified Urethritis was invented. [/color]